The invention relates to a light assembly having a refractive lens and more specifically one that utilizes L.E.D.'s for the source of illumination.
Typically, most light assemblies have either incandescent bulbs or halogen bulbs providing the source of illumination. These types of light sources can vary the degree of brightness depending upon the particular application for which the light assembly is used. Often these light sources require reflectors to direct most of the rays along a forward pattern. Incandescent and halogen lights are usually fairly large resulting in the light assembly having a relatively large depth to it. Additionally, incandescent and halogen bulbs require a relatively greater amount of electricity to operate them.
It is known that the use of light emitting diodes (L.E.D.'s) consume substantially less power than incandescent or halogen bulbs. However, typically, the radiant power of L.E.D.'s has been limited so that they have been used primarily for short range applications such as panel indicators or indoor signs. L.E.D.'s have proven useful when their size has not been a significant factor because they are viewable from short distances. Unfortunately, the use of L.E.D.'s in outdoor applications such as traffic lights has been limited due to the high levels of ambient light. Even with the advent of ultrabright L.E.D.'s, large clusters of L.E.D.'s are required to achieve adequate target size definition. The longer distances involved in outdoor illumination devices, the brightness of ambient light conditions, and limits of resolution of the human eye are among the factors which require clusters of large numbers of L.E.D.'s in known systems. Unfortunately, these clusters are expensive.
Another problem prevalent with the use of L.E.D.'s positioned behind a refractive lens is the fact that dark or dead spots are often produced in which no illumination is transmitted. This has been acceptable in some applications but it has resulted in limited use of L.E.D.'s as the source of illumination for outdoor signs or traffic signals.
It is an object of the invention to provide novel L.E.D. light assembly for traffic arrowboards that uses substantially less power than incandescent lightbulbs for similar applications of a light assembly.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel L.E.D. light assembly that has a floodlight effect as well as an ultra bright spotlight in the center.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel L.E.D. light assembly that is economical to manufacture and market.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel L.E.D. light assembly that can be used with outdoor signs and provide sufficient long range visibility thus making them acceptable to the industry.